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Daily Maverick
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Maverick
National pride at stake: Shukri Conrad seeks Springbok inspiration for Proteas' historic challenge
As 'biggest final ever' looms for Proteas, head coach Shukri Conrad popped in to visit back-to-back world champions, the Springboks, at their alignment camp. South Africa's sport has been on a hot run in recent times. Across the first three weeks of May, the Blitzboks won the SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles, South Africa won three medals at the World Relays in Guangzhou, China, and Amajita – South Africa's Under-20s — were crowned Afcon champions. But the most-acclaimed champions in the country, the Springboks, who are back-to-back Rugby World Cup winners, have led the winning charge with Rassie Erasmus in the coach's box on both occasions. It is no surprise then that the South Africa's national cricket coach, Shukri Conrad, was keen on rubbing shoulders with the brains trust that pulled off the World Cup double. 'For all of us it's been really inspiring,' Conrad said, after spending time with the Springbok squad that gathered in Cape Town for the team's second alignment camp of the year. 'If you look at the history of the Springboks, if you look at the past two successive World Cups — back-to-back, potentially a third… 'They obviously must be doing a lot of things right and we'd like to see what they're doing right and then learn from each other.' The Proteas, since their readmission to international cricket in 1991, have underdelivered compared with expectations in the trophy department. It's something Conrad is looking to correct when his side face Australia in the World Test Championship final at Lord's in England from 11 June 2025. 'It used to be a month away, it's now next week when we leave for the UK for what is our biggest final ever, I'd like to think,' Conrad said. Cross-pollination Conrad added that the language used by the Springboks was similar to that used by the Proteas, although the process of delivering the message was different. 'Listening, sitting in this morning and chatting to some of the players and coaches, and listening to and going through the presentation that Rassie and some of the coaches did is just the common threads that we find across both sports,' Conrad added. 'We might not have put a lot of these things in a documented form necessarily, but the languages are pretty much the same. 'What I find really interesting is just the implementation of certain things. Where playing for the Springboks has got to be the biggest thing, playing for the Proteas has to be the biggest thing. 'If that can be the one thing that you're going to really hone in on — which is the case with the Springboks and which is what we're trying to establish with the Proteas. Playing for the national side has to be the biggest thing.' Their meeting is not a one-off thing either, with Conrad interested in sharing and gaining knowledge from South Africa's other national sporting coaches. 'I really think so. It's something that — both Rassie and I agree — we should be spending a lot more time together as head coaches,' he said. 'I'd love to spend some time with Hugo (Broos) or Desiree Ellis in the soccer space. I watch every Bafana Bafana game, I started watching netball when the World Cup was here. 'I know there's a slogan, 'Stronger Together', and it's exactly that, we can all be stronger together. Sharing in national pride is the same across every code. 'It's great rubbing shoulders across different codes. It's not only coming here wanting to learn from them, it's us almost sharing ideas, and that was always the intention when Rassie and I first started chatting. 'Just the cross-pollination, sharing of ideas and learning from each other.' Erasmus, who has spent time with Bafana coach Broos in the past, shared Conrad's sentiments. 'I firmly believe in having our national coaches working together and sharing ideas, as we all have the same goal in mind – to make the country proud – so we are thrilled that they took time out of their busy schedules to spend the day with us,' Erasmus said about Conrad's visit. 'Hopefully, we can see a lot more collaboration between all our national coaches in the future.' Beaming with pride Conrad, who watches national sport beaming with pride, will be keen to bring that same pride to other South Africans when they play against Australia in the World Test Championship final. 'Just a few weeks ago, watching our athletes in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays — there's so much pride, you feel being part of any South African team is unmatched, whether it's the Springboks, Bafana Bafana, or the Proteas,' he said. 'I don't think there's a better feeling in the world than being involved with the national side. 'The more we share ideas and spend time together and help each other along on this journey, it can only go well for our country on a broader scale as well.'
The Citizen
08-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Currie Cup to get Blitzboks boost?
Head coach Philip Snyman says several Blitzboks stars could feature in the 2025 Currie Cup, as the national sevens team looks to play a bigger role in SA rugby. Speaking to the media at Cape Town International Airport on Tuesday after arriving home from guiding South Africa to SVNS World Championship glory in Los Angeles, Snyman outlined his vision for his charges. 'We need to know where we fit in when it comes to being a bigger part of SA Rugby,' he was quoted by Rugby365. 'We don't only want to be known as a sevens culture; we want to be part of the whole South African union structure. 'Some guys might go and play in the Currie Cup because we have a long break. It's great for SA Sevens not to keep everything on an island but to play a bigger part in SA Rugby.' WATCH: Blitzboks crowned kings in LA Snyman emphasised establishing stronger relationships with provincial unions as a cornerstone of his strategy moving forward. 'Part of my plans is definitely to work closer with unions in terms of the Currie Cup,' he added. 'If we can start that relationship now and keep building it, it will help us get more players into our system.' Victory in Los Angeles caps a rollercoaster season for the Blitzboks, who won the Cape Town SVNS and reached the Vancouver final, but finished a disappointing ninth in Singapore. Snyman remains focused on building toward the 2028 Olympics, with the Africa Sevens Cup in Mauritius (June 21-22) offering the next opportunity to develop emerging talent. The post Currie Cup to get Blitzboks boost? appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.
TimesLIVE
06-05-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Blitzboks' true colours glittered in LA, says coach Snyman
Blitzboks coach Philip Snyman heaped praise on his squad after a commanding weekend of sevens rugby displayed at the HSBC Sevens World Championship in Los Angeles, with the Blitzboks finishing as the only undefeated side and crowned winners on Sunday. Strong performances on day one at Dignity Health Sports Park saw pool victories over France, Great Britain and Argentina, then the Blitzboks outplayed New Zealand in the semifinals and Spain in the final on day two to lift the World Championship trophy for the first time. 'This team delivered an amazing performance over the weekend,' Snyman said. 'The players deserve much credit for the way they played in Los Angeles. We had good parts and bad parts to our season, but this weekend we got it all together and that is a satisfying feeling. Fantastic news for South Africans to wake up to 🏆 The Blitzboks beat Spain 19-5 in Los Angeles to win the final tournament, the SVNS World Championship, of the season 🇿🇦👏 #HSBCSVNS | #HSBCSVNSLAX — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) May 5, 2025 'Any coach will tell you your plan can only be as good as the buy-in from the players and their execution thereof. This weekend it all came together. 'They stuck to our plan, but also played the moments when it was there to exploit. They did exceptional things on the field during this tournament and the credit must go to them. 'Some of those moments of brilliance by the players in the final made this a special win. 'This performance was proof of the potential of this squad. The players executed their roles well, there was a common belief in what is possible and how to achieve that and the result is there for them to enjoy. Quewin Nortje is the speedster on the outside ⚡ He bags the Blitzboks second try in the Cup Semi-Final 🏉 📺 Stream #HSBCSVNSLAX on DStv: — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) May 4, 2025 'This performance completes the puzzle for us and what a beautiful picture we got. This was the true colours of Springbok Sevens and I cannot be prouder of what it represented and displayed this weekend.' The Blitzboks coach reflected on the major moments of the weekend. 'Our defence was great, the attack worked well, while there was this hunger in each player to use this tournament to make up for the disappointing ones we had along the way.' Blitzboks captain Selvyn Davids said the effort during the weekend made him proud. 'The guys left everything out there on the field, we gave it our all,' he said. 'That is an amazing feeling. We fought for each other and we fought for the badge and knowing we achieved that was already a win for me.' Davids said the lesson learnt from this season is consistency is key to everything. 'The consistency we lacked during the year prevented us from reaching our full potential as a team. This tournament we managed to maintain the same level of excellence and that proved gold for us.' Davids, named Player of the Final, said the weekend's performance came via a complete team effort. 'The format of only eight teams was always going to be demanding, but we managed to stay in the moment in each game. We had dark spots during matches, but every time someone did something special to make that disappear. 'Everyone focused on the next job and got it done. I am so proud of this.'
The Citizen
05-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
All that glitters for Snyman is green and gold
All that glitters for Snyman is green and gold Philip Snyman says South Africa's true colours shone through in Los Angeles as the Blitzboks brought the curtain down on their season, winning the SVNS World Championship. The head coach heaped praise on the team after a commanding weekend in the 2024-25 finale, with the Blitzboks finishing unbeaten and crowned winners yesterday. Strong performances on Saturday saw pool victories over France, Great Britain and Argentina, and the South Africans outplayed New Zealand and Spain in the knockout stages to lift the World Championship trophy for the first time. 'This team delivered an amazing performance over the weekend,' said Snyman. 'The players deserve so much credit for the way they played here in Los Angeles. We had some good parts and some bad parts to our season, but this weekend we got it all together and that is a very satisfying feeling. 'Any coach will tell you that your plan can only be as good as the buy-in from the players and then their execution thereof. This weekend it all come together. 'They really stuck to our plan, but also importantly, played the moments when it was there to exploit. They did some exceptional things on the field during this tournament and all the credit must go to them. 'Some of those moments of brilliance by the players in the final made this a special win.' Snyman believes the weekend proved that the Blitzboks are back to where they should be: 'This performance was proof of the potential of this squad. The players executed their roles so well, there was a common belief in what is possible and how to achieve that and the result is there for them to enjoy now. 'This performance finally completes the puzzle for us, and what a beautiful picture we got. This was the true colours of Springbok Sevens and I cannot be prouder of what it represented and displayed this weekend.' WATCH: Blitzboks crowned kings in LA The former skipper also reflected on the big moments of the weekend and said they 'were up for it'. 'Our defence was great, the attack worked so well, while there was this hunger in each player to use this tournament to make up for the disappointing ones we had along the way,' he said. Blitzbok captain Selvyn Davids said the effort during the weekend made him very proud. 'The guys left everything out there on the field, we gave it our all,' he said. 'That is just an amazing feeling. We fought for each other, and we fought for the badge and knowing that we achieved that was already a win for me.' The one lesson learnt from this season is that consistency is key to everything, according to Davids: 'The consistency we lacked during the year prevented us from reaching our full potential as a team. This tournament we managed to maintain the same level of excellence and that proved gold for us.' Davids, who was named Player of the Final, insisted that the performance over the weekend was a complete team effort. 'The format of only eight teams was always going to be demanding, but we managed to stay in the moment in each game,' said Davids. 'We had some dark spots during matches, but every time someone did something special to make that disappear. 'Everyone just focussed on the next job and got it done. I am so proud of this.' The post All that glitters for Snyman is green and gold appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.
Eyewitness News
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
Unbeaten Blitzboks book semi-final spot in LA
JOHANNESBURG – The Blitzboks qualified for the playoffs of the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles with victories over France, Great Britain and Argentina in pool A. In the semi-finals, they face New Zealand, who tied with Australia on seven points in Pool B but advanced due to superior points difference. READ: Blitzboks hope to finish season on a high note as they head to SVNS World Championship The Blitzboks' semi-final against New Zealand is at 22h46 (SA time) on Sunday evening, shortly after Spain and Argentina face off at 22h24 for a place in the final. Philip Snyman's charges kicked off the tournament at Dignity Health Sports Park with a 19-10 win against France, followed by wins against Great Britain (12-7) and SVNS league winners Argentina (29-21) on day 1 of the tournament. Scorers: South Africa 19 (7) France 10 (10)SA - Tries: Selwyn Davids, Shilton van Wyk, Zain Davids. Conversions: Ronald Brown, Ricardo Duarttee. France - Tries: Varian Pasquet, Simon Désert.
